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Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Transmigration
Chapter 1: Transmigration
June 4, Year 640 of the Dawn Calendar
Gaia Prime World, Fanor Continent, Fis Kingdom's capital, Canlight City.
36 Fis Street, Cain Family Residence.
June is the hottest month of the year for the Fis Kingdom on the eastern plains of the Fanor Continent. In the manor, the stable hand sneaked a lounge chair to the back of the stables to rest, preferring to be bitten by mosquitoes rather than sleep in his cramped, suffocating little room.
The manor, in darkness, had not yet dispersed the lingering heat from the previous day. Yet, a sliver of white appeared in the eastern sky.
A young man lay in the master bedroom. Even the light, breathable silk pajamas couldn't soothe the summer night's heat.
The fragrance drove away the annoying mosquitoes but was helpless against the stifling warmth. In his sleep, the young man seemed unable to endure it any longer and mumbled:
"Why is it so hot? Didn't I turn on the air conditioner?"
William turned over, intending to continue learning the eighteen martial arts from his teachers in his dreams, but suddenly sat up in shock.
Something was wrong. Isn't it supposed to be January? How can it be this hot? Is the house on fire?
Sitting up, William looked around in confusion. The immersive game pod he was familiar with and the expensive computer he used for watching shows and handling orders from his power-leveling studio were nowhere to be seen.
The spacious room was devoid of anything but the soft bed beneath him, a luxurious carpet, and a small table with a few letters on it.
Was he kidnapped? But the environment didn't seem to match that scenario. No kidnapper would provide such a comfortable place for their hostage.
The windows weren't even closed. Normally, a kidnapping involves a gag, bound hands, lying on the ground, and a menacing guard nearby, right?
Moreover, why kidnap him? Though he made some money from his gaming studio, most of it was sent to Father Weiss to maintain the orphanage. What kind of kidnapper would go to such lengths for his remaining few bucks?
William was now fully awake. He carefully examined his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was.
His gaze swept past the window, and he stared in astonishment.
From the room's right side, through the floor-to-ceiling windows, beyond the courtyard, he saw rows of two or three-story buildings.
But what caught his eye was the white marble dome and slender spires rising above the black rooftops, emitting a faint white glow like a beacon, warm and mesmerizing.
"Isn't that the Dawn Cathedral in Canlight City from the game 'Gods Apocalypse'?"
Suddenly, his head throbbed as a torrent of information flooded his mind. William clutched his temples, grimacing as he absorbed the sudden influx of knowledge.
After a while, he finally understood where he was.
"My name is William Cain? A court viscount of the Fis Kingdom?"
"Have I transmigrated into the world of 'Gods Apocalypse'?"
'Gods Apocalypse' was a revolutionary immersive online game, offering 100% simulation with its specialized game pod. It attracted millions of players worldwide, peaking at an unprecedented 50 million concurrent users, nearly obliterating all other online games of its time.
As a groundbreaking game, the developers were adept at maintaining game balance while enhancing its playability and competitiveness. It drew countless guilds and professional players, launching professional leagues and national wars, which further boosted its influence to its zenith.
William's gaming studio thrived within 'Gods Apocalypse,' employing a group of people to grind and level up characters, yielding considerable income.
As a hardcore player and top-tier expert, though not inferior to professional players, William specialized in fire magic and ranked within the top thirty mages in his countries server.
Preferring his independence, he didn't join a professional team and instead ran his own studio, earning as much as professional players and gaining fame among bosses and ordinary players alike.
Unexpectedly, he had transmigrated into the world of 'Gods Apocalypse.' Currently, the Gaia world was still peaceful, but William knew it was about to experience a series of tumultuous events.
For instance, the impending 'Total War' across Gaia's six continents, the still-sunken 'Floating City of Azelia' in the eastern sea of Fanor, the 'Philips Crystal' that opens portals to numerous small alternate worlds still floating in the void, the disaster seed in the abyss that would lead to the corruption of Gaia's world tree Yggdrasil in the 'Crimson Invasion,' and the gods, still sitting in their divine realms, unaware of the impending 'Temporal Tide' that would dethrone them.
Playing 'Gods Apocalypse' had been thrilling for William, making him wish he could replace his game character to fight enemies himself. But now, thinking about the upcoming dangers and conflicts, he just wanted to return to his cozy home in his great motherland and enjoy some idle talk.
Don't ask why. It's simply out of caution.
"Damn it!"
William suddenly leaped from the bed, his face twisted, wishing he could bang his head against the wall.
"I'm screwed!"
William suddenly remembered that before his transmigration, his USB drive, containing 5TB of meticulously curated study materials, was still plugged into his work computer.
It would be fine if Father Weiss or his little brothers found it, but if the girls at the orphanage discovered it, how could he maintain his image as the noble and heroic older brother in their eyes?
William turned into a gray-white statue, recalling how he had mocked the male protagonists in web novels for not taking better care of their precious study materials.
Feeling utterly defeated, he collapsed onto the carpet, wishing he could sink into the wooden floor beneath him out of sheer embarrassment.
After writhing on the ground like a worm for quite a while, he managed to vent most of the anxiety brought by his transmigration. Sprawled out on the floor, he stared quietly at the dim crystal chandelier hanging above.
Could he ever go back? Would anyone remember him?
Father Weiss would, and the little brothers and sisters at the orphanage probably would too. As for others, aside from the employees at his studio, he didn't have many close friends.
William slapped his face hard.
Since he had already arrived in the world of 'Gods Apocalypse,' the most important thing was to survive well.
If he could, like his game character, wield extraordinary powers unknown in his previous life, meet influential figures of this world, and explore treasures buried in the mists of history, it might be a rather fascinating experience.
Trying to call up the game interface as he did in his past life, he swiped his right hand in front of him. A light screen adorned with intricate, mysterious patterns appeared before his eyes.
Sure enough, his previous life's game system had followed him into this world! William eagerly checked it out.
The system interface was the same as in the game, with options for [Status], [Forum], and [Inventory] from top to bottom. However, options like [Friends] and [System Settings] were nowhere to be seen, and [Forum] and [Inventory] were grayed out and unselectable.
"Sure enough, the logout button is gone too?" William thought bitterly, then opened the [Status] panel.
[
Name: William Cain
Race: Human
Level: 30
Health: 1050/1050
Mana: 110/2040
Status: Fatigued
Experience: 4396/170000 (Unallocated Experience Points: 0)
Primary Class: Mage
Secondary Class: None
Talent: Jack of All Trades
Attributes:
Strength: 35
Agility: 36
Intelligence: 68 (Attribute Modifier)
Charisma: 38
Mystery: 33
Endurance: 35
Luck: 3
Free Attribute Points: 0
Specializations:
Magic Mind: Intelligence attribute receives a 2x multiplier, mana recovery speed +50%, spell power +10%
Advanced Fatigue Resistance: Reduces the negative impact of fatigue status on the body, stamina recovery speed +50%
Skills:
Tricks (Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Light) freewebnσvel.cøm
First-Circle Spells (Fireball, Ice Arrow, Charm Person)
Second-Circle Spells (Ice Blade, Wind Walk, Earth Glide)
Third-Circle Spells (Chain Fireball)
Milestones:
Junior Mage (Bronze Level)
Fame: 10 (National Level - Court Viscount)
Equipment: Emerald Amulet, Emerald Staff, Focus Ring
Description: "A common, very common young mage, but seems to possess extraordinary potential."
]
Staring at the information interface before him, William raised an eyebrow.
Everything was familiar: the interface, the stats, the mage skills—just like his previous life. The only difference was...
William glanced at the talent section of the interface. The colorful "Jack of All Trades" text made him pause. Could this be the kind of talent he was thinking of?
Taking a deep breath, William clicked on the detailed information for [Talent: Jack of All Trades].
[Talent: Jack of All Trades]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Effect: Your talents break the limits, allowing you to learn and master other class specializations and skills. The more specializations and class skills (excluding primary class skills) you master, the faster you will grow (Current additional experience bonus: 0%).]
'Just as I thought!'
William grinned. If it weren't for the fear of alarming others in the manor, he would have jumped up and shouted out his joy.
A legendary talent!
In the game 'Gods Apocalypse,' a character's initial talent nearly determined the player's future class and development path.
You wouldn't play a warrior with a mage talent like [Elemental Affinity], would you? It would be as ridiculous as playing Vayne with Aftershock or Maokai with Lethal Tempo in League of Legends' ARAM.
In 'Gods Apocalypse,' talents were categorized into Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Legendary tiers. Since game accounts were bound to real-life information, players had three chances to rebuild their characters and refresh their talents, but the highest attainable talent was Gold tier.
Legendary tier talents were only seen in a handful of NPCs' interfaces, all of whom were key figures in their respective factions and highly regarded by players.
For example, the legendary talent [King of Battle] of the Blood Rose Princess Hilda from the Fis Kingdom granted immunity to negative status effects, significantly boosted her attributes, physical defense, magic resistance, and resilience in battle, and provided 50% life and stamina recovery based on damage dealt.
Another example was the [Heart of the Forest] talent of Adela the Sage from the Southern Elf Forest, which doubled the power of nature spells and greatly increased her attributes in forested areas.
Compared to these known legendary talents, [Jack of All Trades] was equally impressive, if not more so.
William could already imagine himself using a priest's [Blessing], sneaking up on enemies with a rogue's [Stealth], ambushing with a mage's [Lightning Whip], and if the enemy still stood, finishing off with a ranger's [Vine Bind] and a warrior's [Whirlwind Slash].
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!
William thought gleefully, feeling this talent perfectly suited his open and honest fighting style.
After a moment of excitement, William calmed down and began reviewing the other information.
"Only 3 points in Luck? Did I use all my luck drawing talents?"
"Oh, advanced fatigue resistance. Must have been grinding a lot, no wonder my mana is nearly empty. Did I die from overworking?"
"And I'm a court viscount? This is much better than losing everything and getting dumped."
Suddenly, William frowned and touched his chin.
"Wait a minute, why does the name William Cain sound so familiar? A court viscount of the Fis Kingdom..."
Since William had started in the Fis Kingdom's beginner area in his previous life, he knew the main storyline of the Fanor Continent's Fis Kingdom well. He quickly pinpointed what felt off.
"Oh no!"
"Isn't that the head of the Cain family who gets assassinated during the Sacred Festival on the third day after the game launch, sparking the 2.0 version of the Fanor Continent's human kingdom war?"
William stared blankly at the interface, muttering:
"So, I'm going to die soon?"